Wednesday, January 9, 2013

And what does it have to do with death and resurection?Hugh Nibly said it would be there, but I thoroughly gasped when I saw it!!

This is Sety I offering two flower bouquets in a base releif from Karnak, setting the tone for your next date ;)

Why would this death obsessed culture be carving bouquettes into the pillars of Karnak? Here is Nibley's commentary: " Often on the walls of the temple of Ramses II at Karnak, the king offers flowers or fruits ( both symbols of the tree of life) to a goddess... who is both mother and wife; in plate 46 she is his real wife, and sometimes she appears with her husband: While "Amun and Mut appear in their capacity as the king's parents" ... who write [their names] on the ished tree.'

(My note- IOW They are solemnizing the contract of marriage by writing their names on the leaves of tree of life. Epicly cool.)

Nibley continues-'In return for his love gifts*, Mut (the mother of all living) promises the king: "I give thee the life span of Re, the Years of Atum, peaceful dominion of all the earth (lands),... the perfect health and joy of Re" '*The flowers, fruit, or branch all symbolized the tree of eternal life, and the garden of paradise. To give such a "love gift" as Nibley calls it, was symbolic of the proposal to leave the garden created by their parents and build their own paradise complete with their own tree of life toprotects their own oasis.

It is apparently the season to celebrate trees, flowers, leaves, twigs, shrubs...